This invention is an improved configuration of a folder sealer mechanism.
Folder sealer mechanisms and related equipment are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,834,699: to: Martin: for: BUCKLE CHUTE PAPER FOLDING APPARATUS: issued May 30, 1989, 5,006,195: to: Martin et al: for: APPARATUS FOR FOLDING AND SEALING A FORM ALONG A TRANSVERSE EDGE: issued Apr. 19, 1991, 5,048,748: to: Martin et al: for: SINGLE SHEET SELF-MAILING FORM WITH IMPROVED OPENING CHARACTERISTICS: issued Sep. 17, 1991, 5,114,067: to: Martin et al: for: SINGLE SHEET SELF-MAILING FORM WITH IMPROVED FEEDING CHARACTERISTICS: issued May 19, 1992 and 5,192,389: to: Martin: for: APPARATUS FOR PREPARING A SELF-MAILER HAVING PRINTER, FOLDER AND TRANSPORT MEANS: issued Mar. 9, 1993. The disclosures of these patents are incorporated by reference. These earlier patents depict a folder sealer attached to the rear of a laser printer having an alternate exit at the rear whereby a self-mailer form sheet can be captured as it exits the printer, then folded, sealed and stacked ready for mailing in a one step automatic operation. This is a viable solution for printers having such a rear exit, but, since that time, the trend among laser printers has been toward single exits which stack their output face down on a sloped tray on top of the printers. The result of this shift in printer design is that the market for this folder sealer configuration has become extremely limited.
Another shortcoming of the rear exit design is that it cannot work with those printers that print as the paper travels from back to front because it allows the paper trays to be placed under the printer thus reducing the desk space required. This group of printers deliver the finished sheets print side down on a tray slanting to the rear so capturing sheets print side up would place the folding mechanism right in front of the machine covering both the controls and paper tray access.
The aforementioned patents also depict a self-mailer design that has a major advantage over most self-mailer designs in that only one tear is required by the recipient to open and turn it into an almost conventional envelope and insert.
The instant invention will be able to process both this self-mailer form and other more conventional forms as they are printed by the majority of today's desktop office printers.
Thus, it is the object of this invention to provide apparatus for attachment to any desktop printer that delivers its output print-side-down to an output accumulation tray on its upper structure, whether towards the front or the back, to capture, fold, and seal various printed self-mailer sheets and stack finished self-mailers.